Chapter 18:

The week passed too quickly for both William and Buffy's liking, and before either one had really noticed, the weekend had almost come and gone. Buffy had become quite busy at the gallery, while William had become entranced by everything that the internet could offer once he had been introduced to Buffy's computer and shown how to work it fairly successfully.

For the first time, he was able to fully catch up on what had changed in 122 years. He used what Buffy had called "Google" to search for new inventions, things from his era that had changed or fallen out of the public's use, and other little bits of information that William might need in order to successfully navigate through everyday life here in 2004.

It was weird to think that he was actually beginning to settle down here in Sunnydale, California, circa 2004. He had a somewhat offbeat, but clearly caring group of friends. And, what made this entire experience worthwhile was that he had the one person who had quickly become his world - Buffy. Even though he was permanently separated from his mother and sister, William was finding the abrupt change to his liking.

William spent much of his free time thinking about his family - wondering what they were doing without him there to care for the two of them, how mother's health was progressing, and if there would ever be a way to get in touch with them. Nevertheless, despite those melancholy thoughts, William forced himself to not worry himself over his family so he didn’t miss out on all of the pleasant moments he spent with Buffy and her friends.

On Sunday, however, everything else was put aside and that evening was saved especially for just Buffy and William. Buffy had jokingly called it "private Buffy and William time," when she had suggested having another movie marathon evening. This, of course, sent William into another embarrassed fit of blushing and stuttering at the implications of her words, which had made Buffy laugh. Even though they had come much further in a short period of time, a small part of him could not let go of the Victorian ideals he had been accustomed to since birth.

That Sunday, Buffy decided to have a Harry Potter movie marathon since the latest movie, The Prisoner of Azkaban, had just come out a few weeks ago.

William thoroughly enjoyed watching the movies. Although the story was set in England, this world was uniquely its own, and he was fascinated with the special effects and the original story line. As with The Lord of the Rings, Buffy realized that she would be making another trip to the bookstore very soon to purchase the Harry Potter series as well.

"Still enjoying it?" Buffy asked, looking over at him. She had her legs spread out at the end of the couch while William sat upright at the other end.

"Oh, yes indeed," he replied.

"Good." After a quick internal debate over whether she should or not, Buffy leaned over and rest her head against his shoulder.

Buffy felt his arm come up and gently rest against her back and lower shoulder, and she realized that this was the first time that William had ever initialized physical contact between the two of them. It was a small step, but it was definitely something major for a gentleman of the 1880s.

"And now it's even better," she said, smiling up at him.

"I couldn't agree with you more," he agreed, slightly rubbing his hand back and forth against her back.

Suddenly, the front door burst open and a tall, slender, brunette walked through the doorway carrying several heavily-packed bags on each shoulder and dragging an over-stuffed bag of laundry inside behind her.

"Whoa," she exclaimed, dropping the bags on the floor. "Buffy sitting with a guy. Sitting close to a guy. Wow. Am I in the wrong house? Did I travel through an alternate dimension on my way back to Sunnyhell?"

"Dawn?!" Buffy cried out, stopping the movie and rising from her seat on the couch. "What are you doing home? I thought you were coming back tomorrow evening after your last final."

"Well, they moved my exam forward to Friday afternoon so teachers could have the weekend to finish getting grades in. I decided to surprise you by coming home a night early," Dawn explained as she closed the front door behind her. "But here I am being the surprised one."

"Dawn-"

"But hey! At least you listened to my advice, bringing home a hot guy," Dawn said. She grinned and quickly added, "Way to go, sis."

"Dawn, please" Buffy groaned. "This is William Stafford."

"Oh...oh! You mean 'pen pal William'?" she asked excitedly, looking back and forth between her sister and the man sitting uncomfortably on the couch. "Seriously?"

William rose from the couch and walked up to Buffy's sister. He held out his hand for a handshake. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Dawn," he said. "Buffy has told me so many things about you."

"Well, don't believe everything she says, especially if it's anything bad about me," Dawn replied jokingly. She shook his hand, getting a chance to give William a good look over. He appeared to be a very kind, gentle-natured man, but then again, so had Warren at the very beginning. But one thing was for certain...

"See? I told you that his accent would be hot, Buffy," Dawn teased.

Both William and Buffy blushed, and Buffy couldn't help but think, God, she's getting as bad as Anya!

"Come on," Buffy said, directing the two towards the couch. "Let's all sit and talk a bit."

The three sat down on the couch with Buffy in the middle, neither one knowing who should start speaking first.

"So..." Dawn finally began. "When did you get here?"

"I arrived several days ago," William said. "Buffy and I finally decided that we did want to meet and spend the holiday season together."

"That's so great," Dawn said. "This way you won't be alone for the holidays when I go off for my skiing trip next week."

Oh trust me, Buffy thought, that thought has already crossed my mind. She would be lying if she said she wasn't thinking about spending the next week with only William and how things might progress. "We've been having a pretty good time together," she said. "He met the gang at the beginning of this week and then again on Friday night. They all seem to like him so far."

"And Buffy told me that you're a poet?" Dawn asked. "I was thinking about taking an English poetry class next semester, but wasn't too sure if it would interest me enough for an entire class on just poetry alone."

"I find English poetry very fascinating," William said. "I particularly enjoy poetry from the Romantic and Victorian eras."

Buffy and William smiled together and Dawn immediately caught the similar looks on their faces. "What?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing...William just specializes in that period of writing," Buffy tried to explain. "I'm sure that if you take a course on that, William will be able to help you. After all, it's like he read everything for the first time just yesterday."

William fought back a chuckle at how he and Buffy could joke about their situation. "If you ever do need any assistance, please do ask."

"Sure. Thanks, William," Dawn replied.

Dawn looked at her sister and then William, trying to pick up on any unspoken vibes between the two. It had definitely been a shock to see someone sitting so closely to her sister right when she had walked in the front door. Although Buffy had talked about William a few months ago, Dawn had never imagined that their friendship would progress to the point of William actually taking his time to come visit her. It must be really serious if Buffy had invited him to spend Christmas with them.

But when she looked at the two of them, and more importantly, how William looked at Buffy when she was unaware of it, Dawn knew why he had traveled so far just to see her and spend time with her - love. Dawn didn't know much about this William Stafford, but she could see one thing very clearly - he was absolutely crazy about her sister. And the fact that it looked like he would try to do any and every thing to make Buffy happy, suddenly placed William in a very good light in Dawn's eyes.

So many past boyfriends that Buffy had dated really weren't worth her time. They had been pleasant enough, sure, but they hadn't gone that little extra distance to really be a top-quality boyfriend. William, on the other hand, looked like he could come through and be it...the one for her sister, and Dawn couldn't help but be kind towards the man who was winning over her sister's heart.

"Do you want anything to drink, Dawnie?" Buffy asked, hoping her sister would say "yes" so she could give William and Dawn some along time to talk.

"Sure, a soda would be great," Dawn answered.

Buffy rose and walked into the kitchen, casting a smile in William's direction as she left the room.

The minute she was out of ear's reach, Dawn looked at William and asked, "So...what are your intentions with my sister?"

Now William really had to control his desire to laugh out loud. Here was this young, sweet nineteen year old girl, acting like an overprotective father in regard to her older sister. What had made it even more laughable was that what Dawn had asked was a phrase he had never expected to hear in 2004.

"I can assure you, Dawn, that my intentions towards your sister are nothing to be concerned about," William said. "I know of her past relationships with Warren Mears, one relationship and can guarantee you that nothing of the sort shall happen between the two of us."

Buffy stood behind the doorway with Dawn's drink in her hand, listening to their conversation and wondering where it would lead to. She mentally applauded William, glad that he was able to so easily defend himself against her interrogative sister.

Well...that was a good answer actually, Dawn thought, slightly taken by surprise with his clear and concise speech. "You say that now, but..."

"I would never hurt a lady. I wouldn't dare hurt the woman I...the woman that I care for," William said forcefully. He desperately wanted to get that point across, as he did not want something like this getting in the way of their possible friendship.

"And you do care, right? For my sister?" Dawn asked.

William lowered his voice to answer. "I love your sister. With all that I am."

Buffy's breath caught in her throat. While she knew that William had very strong feelings for her, she had no clue that it had gone quite this far. Hearing the words, even though he was simply explaining it to Dawn, made her heart leap and her breath quicken. The words echoed over and over in her mind, and, although she still had moments of worry and unease, she knew she was the luckiest girl on earth to have his love.

Dawn sat back, unable to argue that point. She could see the love burning in his eyes - eyes that are just way too pretty, she thought - and knew that he was for real. Unless he was the world's best actor William really was speaking the truth with everything he had said.

"Okay then," she said. "Congratulations, you passed the sister-questions-boyfriend's-motives test with flying colors."

"Oh thank goodness," William said, mock-wiping his brow.

"Buffy! You can stop hiding behind the wall now," Dawn shouted. "Get your butt out here so we can finish watching Harry Potter!"

~~~

The week before Christmas passed even faster than the week before. While Buffy finalized everything at the gallery since it would not be open throughout Christmas weekend, Dawn and William entertained each other at home and in town.

On Monday, Dawn decided to take William to see a movie at the Sun Cinema. Dawn ordered a large tub of popcorn, much to William's delight, several boxes of candy, and two bottles of water. She had told him that at least they would drink something healthy this afternoon if nothing else.

As they walked into the theater, William's main thoughts were over how incredibly ridiculous it was that people - and many people, from the looks of how crowded the theater was - were actually willing to pay $3.50 for a simple bottle of water and $5.00 for popcorn. In his day, $5.00 would have bought quite a lot, not just a snack for a two-and-a-half hour long movie.

That evening, the three of them went to the local Christmas tree lot and picked out a tree. The three started decorating the tree the same evening, singing to Christmas carols and talking about whatever came to mind. William was entranced by seeing what Buffy and her sister's traditions were and how they were both similar and different from his own family's traditions.

On Tuesday, the Dawn and William decided to go to the mall for the day - which, William reflected later that evening, had somewhat been a careless decision.

That morning, William had told Dawn that he wanted to get Buffy something for Christmas. Seeing as how he didn't have any money with him, he had asked Dawn for a small advance until he could pay her back. Dawn agreed and the two went shopping at the same mall Buffy had taken him to on his first day here. The two nearly managed to become separated several times - mostly due to William's distractions with all of the decorations and festive window displays, but they did manage to leave the mall with success.

On Wednesday, Dawn showed William around the entire town of Sunnydale, pointing out the Expresso Pump, the high school that Buffy, her friends, and she herself went to, and then ended the tour by taking a walk through the park. After Buffy got back home from the gallery, the three went to a grocery store to pick up everything that they would need to cook dinner for their friends on Friday evening.

Thursday, Dawn met with her friends for the afternoon, leaving William to fare for himself. He spent most of the day on Buffy's computer, reading over scanned newspaper articles and other world events, still trying to catch up to where everyone else was.

By the end of the week, William was delighted that he and Dawn had bonded so well together. He'd been worried at first that Buffy's sister wouldn't approve and wouldn't act friendly while he was staying with them. However, by the time Thursday evening rolled around, William and Dawn were already close friends. In fact, simply by looking at the two, one would have never guessed that they had only known each other for less than a week.

Likewise, Buffy was also thrilled that Dawn and William were becoming such fast friends. With each passing day, the thought of William returning to 1882 became less of a concern. He was right - they didn't write to one another anymore, and without using the desk, there probably wouldn't be a way for him to return to his time. And although only a couple weeks had passed, Buffy realized that she was beginning to depend on having William in her life.

Yes, she was a bit worried every once in a while that she might wake up to find an empty room, but Buffy knew that she had to live in the now - to take advantage of what she had in front of her. And with Christmas coming up, she planned on doing just that.

~~~

While the three were getting ready for bed on the night before Christmas Eve, Buffy pulled Dawn aside while William was in the bathroom brushing his teeth.

"What?" Dawn asked.

"So, after spending a few days with him what do you think?" Buffy asked, hoping to hear a positive response from her sister.

"I think...I think I like him," Dawn finally answered. "And he's obviously crazy about you. Everything I say your name, he gets all shy and stutter-y...and I think, from what I've seen this past week, that the feeling is equally returned, right?"

Buffy shrugged, not wanting to say more than she could at the moment. "I...he is very close to my heart," she finally said, hoping that would do for the time being.

"I think he could be good for you," Dawn said. "He will be good for you. SO much better than that Warren creep."

"I can't disagree with you there."

"And he is so...well mannered," Dawn continued. "You don't hear guys talk that well anymore these days."

"See? Perfect, polite gentleman," Buffy said. "I said it months ago, yet no one believed me."

"Well, I believe you now."

"Thank you, Dawnie," Buffy said, pulling her sister closer for a tight hug. "And you really don't mind that he'll be spending Christmas with us?"

Now Dawn shrugged, but she still didn't appear too upset at the idea. "I'm not crazy-excited about it, but it really will be nice for you to have someone here while I'm on my winter vacation. I don't like to think of you being all by yourself here, especially when everyone else in the gang has someone to spend the week with."

"You are just the best sister ever," Buffy said, thrilled that Dawn was giving William a chance.

"I know, I know. Keep talking the praise, please," Dawn teased. "Now, about William..."

"Oh boy, here it comes."

"You really do know how to pick 'em, don't you?" Dawn asked. "I mean, wow! I don't know if I should say 'cute,' 'hot,' or even 'beautiful' but you picked a real looker."

"Oh, I know," Buffy sighed, casting a wistful look towards the bathroom. "Damn, but don't I know."

~~~

TBC...

Chapter 19:

The weekend finally arrived, and Christmas along with it. Having William with her for the holiday only made Buffy that much more excited. She had decided to close the gallery for the next three days, so on Christmas Eve morning, the three woke up and spent the day together cooking, putting the finishing touches on any remaining decorations and getting ready for her friends to come over later that evening.

It had become an annual tradition for everyone to celebrate Christmas Eve together at Buffy's apartment. They would exchange their gifts that night after dinner, spending the rest of the night relaxing with plenty of egg nog for the entire group.

"How's dinner coming along?" Dawn asked, walking into the kitchen. She sat down at the table and looked at the place settings, nodding and smiling in approval. Mom would have been proud to see how we're doing, how we're continuing to get through each major holiday without her, Dawn couldn't help but think. It definitely wasn't the same as it had been with Mom around, but Buffy was definitely making the best of it each year.

"Pretty good. Don't you think so, William?" Buffy asked. She stirred the pot of turkey gravy once more before setting the spoon aside and wiping her hands off on the towel to her left.

"Yes, however I didn't know that cooking with Buffy would wind up being so...dangerous," he joked, winking at Dawn.

"Hey, I am not a bad cook," Buffy said defensively.

"Right, you only left the pot holder on top of the burner twice and then came this close to ruining the sweet potato casserole by adding the ingredients used for the stuffing. All of this because you are an excellent cook," William answered sarcastically.

Buffy looked at him with a mixture of shock and amusement. Hearing William talk back to her was always a delight. It was a definite sign that he was becoming more accustomed to himself and his surroundings. It meant he was adapting to 2004. And for once, she didn't have anything smart to say to him in response.

"You should have seen it last year," Dawn said as she played with the silverware placed in front of her. "It was not pretty, at all. Fire bad."

"Oh, I have no doubt about that," William answered. He smiled at Buffy, letting her know that his teasing was meant in good humor.

"But everything looks really great this year," Dawn continued.

"Well, thank William for that," Buffy grumbled, trying to appear hurt that both of them were ganging up on her. Okay, so she wouldn't be winning any chef awards anytime soon, but that didn't mean that Dawn had to keep bringing up the Christmas when she'd almost burnt the apartment complex down. "He's made some suggestions for my recipes that he and his family use."

Actually, William had written down some of the recipes that he remembered from his time. He and Buffy had spent the entire afternoon together working on making this a perfect dinner. From what Buffy had test-tasted so far, all of her friends were going to be very impressed this evening.

Or, more realistically, they would simply know that she had gotten a lot of help in the kitchen this year.

Not that it mattered to her. Spending time with William was important to her, no matter what they were doing. With each passing day, she could see that they were becoming closer. And she honestly loved it.

"Do you want to help out?" Buffy asked her sister.

Dawn shook her head in response. "No, thank you. I still have some presents I have to wrap for tonight actually. I just wanted to check up on things and make sure that the place was still standing."

"Thanks for having so much faith in me," Buffy sarcastically muttered.

"Not a problem." Dawn set the fork and knife back down on the napkin and headed back to her own room.

"What did you do last year?" William asked when Dawn had left.

Buffy shook her head, muttering, "nothing."

William smiled. "Buffy, I hardly doubt Dawn said 'fire bad' without having good reason behind it."

"Fine. I was toasting some rolls in a different toaster oven and left them in for way too long," she explained. "By the time I came back, just about the whole counter was on fire...not of the good."

"No, not at all," he agreed.

"It didn't really ruin our dinner...we just didn't have any rolls," Buffy said. "Dawn has never let me live that one down. I don't think she ever will."

"Well, nevertheless, hearing this news will not change the way I think of you," William said, half-teasingly. He wanted to let her know that although she wasn't the most conscientious cook, he still did love her.

"Thank you." Buffy walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, taking a second to relax from the busy day of cooking and decorating, to simply be with William.

William closed his eyes and felt the tension automatically leave his body. It was amazing what simply holding Buffy could do to him - how it could make him feel as if he had no worries or concerns in his life. When they held each other it was just...Buffy and William.

At hearing a bubbling and sizzling noise, William opened his eyes and looked towards the stove. The pot of gravy was beginning to heavily boil and actually spilled over the edge of the pot.

"Buffy..." he started, regretfully pulling away his hands and stepping back. "It appears as if we do have a situation now."

Buffy looked behind her at the overflowing gravy and softly cursed. "Looks like an accident is bound to happen every year."

William patted her back before rubbing her shoulder. "Do not worry. At least it isn't as bad as what happened last year."

Buffy laughed. "Please. We still have forty-five minutes before anyone will be here. That gives me plenty more opportunities to destroy this place." She hugged him once more and went to the stove. "Don't worry, William, I'm just joking with you."

Truth was, she hadn't even heard the gravy bubbling or the sound of the sauce hitting the burner. She had been so wrapped up in feeling, smelling, and touching William, that all of her other senses had been closed off. Every time she touched him, Buffy could fell herself fall just a bit more.

And for once, Buffy didn't think that was a bad thing.

~~~

Willow and Tara were the first to arrive at Buffy's apartment. Dawn, who was ecstatic over getting to see Buffy's friends after spending four months away at college, opened the door with a wide grin on her face. She saw that the two women were carrying three bags filled with presents, and Dawn couldn't help but become a bit giddy as the holiday spirit overtook her. She just loved spending her favorite holiday with all of her best friends.

"Hey Dawnie!" Willow greeted, walking up to hug her after setting the presents down beside the door. "I've missed you so much! How was your first semester?"

"It was awesome," she replied. "My grades still haven't been posted yet, but I feel pretty good about all of my finals." Dawn turned and waved to Tara. "Oh, I've missed you two so much."

"We've missed you too," Tara said softly, hugging Dawn in greeting as well. "Bronze nights just aren't the same without you there."

"Yeah, they're more fun!" Buffy joked from inside the kitchen.

"You know you miss me!" Dawn replied, which was the truth.

"How is the feast coming along?" Willow asked as she took off her coat and hung it by the front door. "It sure does smell good. And here I was thinking Buffy was just an average cook."

Dawn nodded. "Oh, trust me, she is most definitely an average cook-"

"Hey! I can hear what you two are saying!" Buffy cried out.

"But William has been helping her all day," Dawn continued. "And this guy can seriously cook, you guys. It's like...old fashioned, made from scratch cooking."

"That's great," Willow said. "So, you approve of William?"

"Yes, he has the official Dawn seal of approval. I spent a lot of time with him this week, and he is such a nice guy. So polite and generous. He holds the door for me all the time and insists that I sit down first when we eat," Dawn gushed. "He's totally into my sister, which is just nice to see. And she's been like...pod-person-happy all week long."

Willow nodded, understanding what Dawn was saying perfectly since she had seen the same "pod-person-happy" Buffy at work. Both she and Anya were certain that her change in personality was due to William's presence. It had been a long time since they had seen Buffy act so excited about going home for the evening or simply picking up dinner, and if William was the reason for it, then he was officially on Willow's good side.

Willow was about the close the door when a hand reached out to stop it from moving.

"Hey, hey, let's not close the door quite yet," a voice said on the other side of the door. "I come bearing tides of good joy...or what we call presents in this day and age."

"Xander!" Dawn shrieked, moving forward to pull the door open.

Xander walked in the doorway and held open his arms to hug the brunette. "And how is my favorite college girl?"

Anya, who was standing behind him and holding the gifts muttered, "She'd better be the only college girl you know, Harris."

Xander smiled; the holiday atmosphere completely prevented a pessimistic mood. "It's so great to see you Dawn. We've missed you around here."

"Me too," she said. "Well, come on inside, everyone. You can place the gifts over there." She pointed towards the Christmas tree in the corner of the room. "Buffy and William are in the kitchen finishing up dinner."

Everyone followed Dawn into the kitchen and warm words of welcome and greetings were spoken throughout the room from everyone.

"Hey, guys," Buffy said. "Dinner is almost done. We just have a few finishing touches left."

"Hello everyone," William said from beside Buffy. "It is wonderful to see you all again."

"It smells great," Xander said.

"Well, you should all thank William," Buffy said. "He's been helping out a lot today. I think I might have burned down the kitchen if it wasn't for him being here."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "It wouldn't be the first time that happened," she muttered.

"And there is no 'might' about it," William added. "Buffy would have burned down the kitchen if I had not been here, that's without a doubt."

"William!" Buffy tossed the hand towel towards his face and laughed when he failed to catch it in time.

"C'mon, everyone, take a seat," Dawn said, pulling out a chair for herself and sitting. Everyone else did the same, leaving two seats for Buffy and William.

Buffy's best dinner china and her mother's silver were laid out on the table for the group of seven. The lights were turned to their lowest setting and several festive candles were lit around the turkey that was sitting on a large tray in the center of the table.

Anya looked around the table with a satisfactory look on her face. "You really outdid yourself this year, Buffy," she said in approval. "Things look different than last year...not that it's a bad thing."

"Thanks Anya," Buffy replied, a bit surprised that Anya of all people had complimented her on all of her work. William had helped her throughout most of the day, offering little tidbits of advice on what he and his family did on their holiday. Buffy hoped that by incorporating some of his traditions into her own she had made William feel a bit more comfortable celebrating Christmas in an environment that was still unfamiliar for the most part.

"Everything really does look gorgeous this year," Tara said softly.

"Yeah, Buff...I've never seen the place look so festive," Xander agreed.

"Thank you," Buffy repeated, grateful that her friends had noticed how much time and effort she had placed in decorating the apartment this year. However, with William here to help out, things had gone even faster than usual.

Buffy set the stuffing down, which was the last dish needed to be added to the table, and then went around the table to take the covers off of the other dishes. After making sure that everything else was in place, Buffy sat down in her own chair at the head of the table. Dawn was to her right and William sat to her left, and the other two couples sat together on opposite sides of the table. She looked at everyone, watching her friends talk back and forth, and was immediately overcome with feelings of gratefulness. Buffy didn't know what she would do if she didn't have her friends in her life.

She turned to William, someone else she was grateful to having in her life - although for different reasons than all of her friends, of course. The last week had brought them even closer together. While decorating the apartment, the two had shared stories, secrets, and generally learned even more about each other in the process, more than they ever would have learned if they had only been writing to one another. Buffy smiled at him and he returned the gesture; she always loved watching his eyes light up whenever he smiled.

"Hungry?" she asked, leaning closer towards him. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

William grinned again and shortly chuckled. "I am quite famished, I do admit."

"Good." She smiled brightly at him once more, before turning her attention to her friends and clearing her throat. "Are we all set?"

Everyone quieted down, a few nodded, and they all looked at her expectantly.

"Well, first of all, merry Christmas Eve, everyone," Buffy began. Everyone repeated her words, and Buffy couldn't help but grin when she heard William say, "happy Christmas Eve."

"It's always great to have all of us get together for nights like these," she continued. "Having all of us together...Dawn back with us, and William here, reminds me of how lucky I am to have all of you in my life. So...who wants to say grace?"

No one spoke for a second and finally Dawn spoke up and said, "I will."

Everyone closed their eyes and slightly bowed their heads in prayer.

"Lord, thank you for this food that we are about to eat," Dawn started. "Tonight we celebrate Christmas Eve with food, gifts, laughter, and good company. We thank you for all that you have given us, for watching out for us, and giving us guidance and blessings. We ask that you..."

As Dawn continued speaking, Buffy opened her eyes and looked at William. His head was slightly bowed and his eyes were tightly closed. She slowly reached out and took his hand that was resting on the edge of the table. She turned his hand over and tightly wrapped her hand around his own.

At the feel of a slender hand touching his, William opened his eyes and looked over at her. When he met Buffy's eyes, he instantly smiled at the warmth he saw in her hazel orbs and returned the squeeze to her own fingertips.

William looked at her and then cast a quick look from one end of the table to the other. For some reason right then, everything hit him at once. As William looked at Willow and Tara sitting so closely together to his left, and Xander and Anya sitting together on the other side of the table, he suddenly realized that he truly did belong with this group. For the first time in his life, William belonged somewhere.

He had never felt like this before, but having the security of knowing he belonged to a group of friends, was just astounding. If only those idiots in the London of his time could see him now, they probably wouldn't believe that this was the same William that they had seen make a fool of himself at parties several months ago.

And his mother would be thrilled, that was without a question. She would have been so proud to see him fit in with a group of friends and to be dating such a wonderful young woman. His mother and sister would have loved Buffy, William knew that without a doubt as well. So, even though he missed his family all the time, William got through the day knowing that his mother had given them her blessing, and as long as Buffy was with him then everything would work out.

He turned back to look at Buffy again, and she made a face clearly letting him know just how hungry she was. He forced himself not to laugh and instead tried to reply with a "be serious, your sister is giving the blessing!" expression. She understood immediately and straightened her head before closing her eyes. William did the same and went back to listening to Dawn.

"So, thank you for all that you have given us. Amen," she finished.

The group all sat back up and waited for whoever would speak up next.

"C'mon, I'm hungry," Buffy complained. "Xander, you should do the manly thing and cut up the turkey."

"Yes ma’am," he said, standing up and picking up the cutting knife and fork beside the turkey. "Let's get this bird cut into."

"Alright everyone, help yourself," Buffy said.

They didn't need to be told twice. Everyone started serving themselves a helping of whatever was the closest to them. Dishes and plates were passed back and forth and everyone started talking about whatever came to mind.

And throughout it all, William couldn't remember having ever had such a fun time.

~~~

TBC

Chapter 20:

After dinner, the group returned the Buffy's living room and sat around the room, ready to exchange gifts. Dawn, being the youngest and the person who was most excited about actually exchanging gifts, decided to lead the gift-giving event.

William sat beside Buffy on the couch, somewhat embarrassed that he did not have any gifts of his own to give to their friends. Earlier in the week, Buffy had explained to him that the gifts she would give to her friends would come from both of them. However, without any money of his own, purchasing the gifts fell onto Buffy's shoulders alone, and William couldn't help but feel slightly guilty about that.

As Dawn took gifts out of bags and brought them to each person, William was surprised to see that he was collecting a small pile for himself.

He had only been with Buffy for over two weeks and had only met her friends just a little over a week ago, but the fact that they had thought to get him a little something, meant more to him than anything else. For the first time, he had a group of friends outside of his immediate family - something much more than he had ever had in 1882.

Finally, Dawn passed the last present to her sister from Anya, before taking her own seat at the other end of the couch.

"Okay," Dawn said. "Let's start!" She immediately picked up the biggest box and started ripping off the paper.

The group of seven began opening their presents. "Thank you's," "oooh's," and other words of praise were uttered as everyone began unwrapping their gifts.

William, especially, was having a fantastic time getting to see what everyone had chosen for Buffy, as well as himself. The two sat together alternating who got to unwrap the presents first.

Willow and Tara bought him a collection of teas in a well-crafted, decorated wooden box and told him that most of them came from a small herbal shop in town. They also bought him several CDs of classical music, something that Buffy had suggested they purchase for him since that was the genre of music he knew best.

The two women gave Buffy a gift basket filled with lotions, shower gels, soaps, bath salts, and other aromatheaputic goods. In addition, they gave her a large scrapbook that already had several pages that the two had created. Buffy smiled when she looked through it at the memories it brought back, and made sure to eventually add plenty more pages to the scrapbook, especially since William was now here.

Xander and Anya gave William a Hickory Farms gift basket with different cheeses and spiced sausages. Xander also picked out a nice gift box of DVDs that William had never seen or heard of.

Anya's gift for Buffy was no surprise; in fact, Buffy should have seen it coming from the beginning. Buffy unwrapped her present, blushed, and quickly hid it from William's view. She glanced down at the cover of the book cover and the goodie bag attached to it and rolled her eyes. Only Anya would get me a book and gift set about sex, she thought. Thank goodness she didn't get William anything like that!

Buffy's present from Xander was still in his truck, and he waited until everyone else was done opening their gifts before telling her about it. The group walked outside together to see what Xander's gift was. He opened the cab of his truck and pulled the tarp off of a beautifully carved standing jewelry box, one that looked as if it would hold enough jewelry for twenty women.

"Xander!" Buffy cried out, amazed that he had spent so much time on her gift. "It's absolutely beautiful!"

"Thanks, Buffy," Xander said, bringing down the jewelry box from the back of the truck. "It's big enough to hold other things too, like scarves, belts, jewelry boxes, things like that."

"Thank you so much," she said, opening the drawers and looking at the incredible craftsmanship.

William stared at his gift and couldn't help but wonder how his present would ever be able to compete with something such as this. Sure, Buffy understood that he didn't have any money with him, but something like this...well, it was a tough act to follow, that's for sure.

As Xander began carrying Buffy's gift towards the apartment, Buffy asked, "So, who's ready for some egg nog?"

Everyone nodded in agreement and the group headed back inside her apartment.

William and Buffy fell towards the end of the line, and she nudged him playfully with her shoulder. "Are you having a fun time?"

He nodded, hoping that his face wasn't saying otherwise. "Tonight has been very exciting," he said. "I was surprised that your friends included me in the gift exchanging."

"You're part of the group now," Buffy said. "They weren't really sure what to get you, so I hope I gave then some pretty good ideas."

William eagerly nodded. He couldn't wait to try the tea and cheeses, as well as watch the movies that Xander picked out. "Everything was perfect."

As they neared the steps towards her doorway, Buffy reached out and wrapped her arms around William's side and leaned against his arm, resting her head on his shoulder. "How about after Dawn is gone on her skiing trip, we spend an afternoon watching all of those movies Xander bought you."

"That sounds lovely."

Yeah, it sure does, Buffy thought. Although she was enjoying the time herself, another part of her couldn't wait to have some alone time with William.

~~~

After coming back inside, the group spent the rest of the evening relaxing and sharing stories of their life together, telling William many new stories of the five of them growing up together and how they had become friends. It was nearing midnight when Willow, Tara, Xander, and Anya decided to call it a night and head back to their homes.

Buffy, Dawn, and William thanked them all for the gifts and the two girls hugged everyone good bye and good night.

After closing and locking the door, Dawn looked at Buffy and William, and quickly yawned. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm just exhausted." She stretched and bent down to pick up the collection of poetry books that William had given her earlier in the evening. "Thanks for the books, William."

"You're quite welcome," he said. He looked at the clock and saw that it was now 12:01. "And I believe we can officially say 'happy Christmas.'"

Buffy smiled and jokingly hit him in the shoulder. "I keep telling you, it's 'merry Christmas.' You silly Brits."

Dawn smiled at their exchange. Seeing how happy her sister was acting meant a lot to her, and it meant even more to her that William was the one making her so happy. "Okay, you two crazy love birds. I will see you tomorrow bright and early to open the rest of our gifts."

"Good night, Dawnie."

"Good night."

After Dawn shut her bedroom door for the night, Buffy turned to face William and smiled at him. She had told Dawn to feign her exhaustion after everyone else left so she could get some alone time with William before the evening was over. "C'mere," she said, taking him by the hand and leading him towards the couch.

The lights were dimmed for the occasion and several festive candles had been lit earlier in the evening. The collection of instrumental Christmas carols was still playing on the CD player, and with everyone else having gone home for the night, the atmosphere was suddenly more intimate and personal. It was something that both Buffy and William noticed. Buffy directed him towards the couch and motioned for him to sit while she walked up to the Christmas tree and bent down to pick up to presents - one very small box and another, much larger one.

"I thought we were going to exchange presents tomorrow morning with Dawn," William said.

"I can't wait that long," she replied, as she sat back down beside him. "Besides, it's technically Christmas now." She pushed the biggest gift towards him with a small smile on her face. "Go ahead and open it."

William studied the present carefully, wondering what on earth she might have gotten him that was so big. He unwrapped the gift and tore the paper away from the front of the box. His jaw dropped open slightly when he saw its cover.

"Do you like it?" She asked softly.

"Buffy, you...you bought me a computer," William stated. "A...what do you call them again?"

"A laptop. This one is an Apple Powerbook," Buffy explained. "I saw you looking at them in the newspaper ads and on TV."

William shook his head and slightly frowned, remembering the prices he saw attached to the computers in the advertisements. "No, Buffy, this is too much."

"Of course it's not," she said. "After all you've done?"

He scoffed. "I hardly think I have done anything of great importance."

"You've been here," she said forcefully. "You've been with me, and you’ve been...been my rock," Buffy admitted.

"Buffy..." William reached out and took her hand, squeezing it gently. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome."

"I can't wait to get everything set up," he said, eager to investigate his new computer.

"We'll get it all hooked up tomorrow afternoon, how about that?" Buffy suggested. "And here's your other gift."

Buffy handed the small box to William. He wondered if it was something that was supposed to go along with the computer, since she handed it to him second. He unwrapped it carefully and opened the lid. Inside, resting on top of a thin layer of cotton, sat his father's pocket watch.

William picked up the watch to look at it closer and was surprised when he could hear a faint tick, tick, tick coming from the pocket watch.

"I took it into a watch repair shop and even though they had to change some mechanisms inside they were able to fix it," Buffy explained. "I thought you might like to have it back."

William nodded, as a strong sensation of love for the woman beside him filled his chest. "Buffy, I...I don't have the words to thank you-"

"I believe you just did," she cut in. "And how could I not? I mean, it's the only thing you really have from your life back then...I wanted to give it to you."

"Thank you," he said, clipping the pocket watch onto his belt loop and sliding it into his pocket.

"You're very welcome," Buffy whispered, leaning closer towards him, wondering if either of them was brave enough to chance a Christmas kiss.

Just as she was getting ready to lean forward even closer, William stood and headed towards his room. "I have my gift for you in my room," he explained.

"Great," Buffy said, somewhat disappointed that he had moved away so suddenly.

William walked back out a few seconds later with a decorated bag in his hands. "Merry Christmas, Buffy," he said, emphasizing the "merry" with a smile on his face.

"Thank you," she said when he sat back down and placed the bag on her lap. She removed the tissue paper on the top, thinking that Dawn must have helped him purchase and wrap the gift.

Buffy took out was a black leather journal, which looked very much like the journal that the two used to write in. The only difference was the texture of the leather and the bookmark was black ribbon, not red.

"Thank you," she said, although she was somewhat unclear over the meaning of the gift.

"I...I thought that since you said you missed our writing, we could restart our correspondences. We could simply modify what we write about since we see each other every day," William explained. After hearing Buffy question whether he'd missed writing as much as she had, William had decided it might be a nice touch to continue writing to one another from time to time. "If there is ever anything you feel like you cannot say to me in person, just write it down and tell me though words."

Buffy smiled and moved closer towards him. "Thank you, William." She flipped through the pages and stopped when she saw that there was already writing inside.

"I took the liberties of beginning our new journal," he spoke softly.

Buffy flatted the cover and began to read.

Buffy blinked back tears as she closed the journal and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you so much, William," she whispered.

"I - I know it is not as impressive as Xander's handcrafted-"

"Stop it," she said, gently laying her fingers over his lips. "This...this one entry means more to me than anything else I have received tonight, okay?"

"Really?"

"Really," she said, hoping that would convince him. Xander's jewelry box, although beautiful, paled in comparison to this heartfelt and personal entry. "I...I know that I am sometimes still skittish about you possibly disappearing on me one day-"

"And I keep telling you that it will most likely never happen," William said. As long as they stayed away from her desk, he didn't see how it possibly could.

"I know, but I am very thankful for these ten days together, too." Buffy paused, searching for the right words to say. "And I hope that we have...ten times a million more."

"Ten times a million, then?" William asked, raising an eyebrow in question. "That is quite a long time indeed."

Buffy rest her head on his shoulder and breathed him in. "That's just what I'm hoping for."

The two remained seated on the couch for some time, the gentle music being the only sound in the room.

"Merry Christmas, William."

"Merry Christmas, my heart."

TBC...

Chapter 21:

Dawn woke Buffy up at 8:30, and she was clearly eager to get the gift opening process underway. William was already awake since he was still so used to waking up with the sun, and he was already busy working on unpacking and setting up his new laptop on the kitchen table when the girls walked into the living room.

"Good morning," William greeted, when he saw a giddy Dawn and his listless girlfriend, who looked as if she needed several more hours of sleep.

"Morning, William," Dawn said cheerfully.

Dawn passed William and kept walking towards the Christmas tree. She bent down to look at the gifts around the tree and mentally counted how many were hers. Buffy, on the other hand, walked up to William and didn't stop walking until she was pressed up against his chest.

"G'morning," Buffy grumbled, closing her eyes and wishing she could sleep in for a few more hours. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against him.

William chuckled at her grumpy tone of voice. "Good morning, Buffy," he said, hugging her gently and looking down at her. "Did you rest well, for the few hours you were able to sleep, that is?"

She wrinkled her forehead and tried not to think. "I think I'm a bit hung-over from all of the egg nog I had," she admitted.

"My poor dear," he said, running his hands up and down her back in a soothing manner. "Shall I start a pot of coffee? I have read that is the best way to relieve the after effects of alcohol."

"That would be lovely," she said. "Thank you so much."

"Of course." William looked down at her once more, smoothed back an errant strand of hair behind her ear, and turned towards the kitchen. Buffy sat down on the couch, hoping that she could just sit here while Dawn passed out the rest of the presents. Since Buffy and William had exchanged presents the night before, most of the gifts were for Dawn.

Not that Dawn was complaining about it, or anything. She was already picking up presents and setting them down in a chair by the tree. Dawn placed a few beside Buffy - gifts that were from distant relatives who only kept sending presents at the memory of their mother, and a few that were to herself to give the illusion of more presents under the tree.

William walked back into the living room with a steaming cup of coffee, and Buffy could feel herself perk up a bit at just smelling the delicious aroma. Of course, that could have also been because of William’s smile and how closely he sat next to her.

"Better?" William asked after she had taken a few sips.

"Much." And she didn't mean just because of the coffee.

~~~

On Sunday, Dawn left with her friends for her week long skiing trip. William and Buffy settled down to watch a couple movies for the rest of the afternoon. They also finished setting up William's laptop and spent several hours together figuring out everything they could about his new gift.

Although both of them had enjoyed having Dawn and their friends around to spend the holiday together, once everyone was gone and the two had the apartment to themselves, things just seemed to click and time stopped. Truthfully, both Buffy and William had become used to having the place to themselves and it was nice to get back to that feeling of closeness. Although they only had a week together before Dawn came back for the final two weeks of her winter vacation, Buffy promised to make the most of it.

~~~

When Monday morning rolled around, Buffy regrettably dragged herself out of bed to prepare for a full day of work. Spending the entire weekend at home with Dawn and William had been just what she needed - some relaxing time with the two people that meant the most to her. Nevertheless, it was time to get back to real world and continue to make a living. Although Buffy didn't hate her job by any means, she would have loved to take another few days off from work and spend them with William.

They were becoming closer each day, and she always delighted in watching William become more comfortable with innocent public displays of affection. He was even beginning to instigate them himself. Buffy wished that they'd had more time to explore where their relationship was headed and not have her work interfere.

In keeping to her daily routine, Buffy showered, dressed, and prepared herself for a day at the gallery. When she walked out, she was greeted to breakfast, a morning tradition that she was beginning to rely on having every day.

"Morning," she said when she sat down at the table.

"Good morning," William said. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, and you?"

"As usual, yes."

Buffy still had trouble getting used to the fact that he was such an early riser and clearly a morning person. "We're going to have to break this nasty habit of yours, waking up at sunrise," she said. "I just don't know how you can do it every day."

"Well, considering that I have done this ever since I was born, I have become quite accustomed to it," William explained.

"Well, don't worry...spend enough time with me and I will break that bad habit of yours," Buffy teased.

William flushed a bit, yet surprisingly, not as much as he thought he might, and definitely not as much as he would have if he had heard her say this two weeks ago. "I will be looking forward to it then," he said, with a sly look on his face.

Now, it was Buffy's turn to blush.

~~~

Anya had requested the day off to spend some extra time with Xander while he was on his holiday vacation, so Willow and Buffy were the only two working at the gallery that morning. Neither was expecting any major rushes, since the day after Christmas was over was probably one of the slowest days for major paintings and commissions.

As 12:30 was beginning to roll around and not a single person had walked into the gallery, Buffy was beginning to think that it might be best if they simply closed early for the day. After all, there was no reason for both of them to be sitting around waiting for nothing to happen. She walked back to Willow's office room to suggest that very idea to her.

"Hey, Willow, do you think we should just go ahead and close up early for the day?" Buffy asked.

Willow looked up at her friend and tried to pull off a thoughtful expression. "I don't know...I'm sure people will start showing up eventually," she replied.

"I doubt it. I was thinking about closing at either 1:00 or 1:30," she explained. "I mean, no one has even come inside yet."

Just then, the bell over the front door rang out and Buffy jumped, wondering who it might be. Willow followed her out to the main room of the gallery and both girls stopped in their tracks when they saw who was standing in the doorway.

"William!" Buffy cried out in joy, walking up to him and giving him a quick, but tight, hug. "What are you doing here? How did you get here?"

William smiled down at her and then quickly glanced at Willow with a gleam in his eyes. "I...uh, simply found directions and phoned a cab to come pick me up."

Buffy looked back at Willow, who had suddenly found something on her shoes very interesting to look at. "Oh really, huh?"

"Yes."

"Well, whatever reason you're here, I'm so glad you are," Buffy said, hugging him once more. "Since you've never been here before, I'll give you the official tour of my gallery and studio."

Willow smiled at the two blondes standing in front of her. Yes, she had definitely done the right thing to call William and tell him to come visit the gallery today. It looked like just the pick-me-up that Buffy needed.

"Well, I have a lot of, um...paperwork to get through," Willow lamely spoke. "So, I'll see you two later. William, it was so great of you to stop by."

When Willow left, Buffy turned to face him with a beaming smile on her face. "I'm so glad you came here today," she said. "It was incredibly boring, but now...it's just great."

"Well, I insist that you thank Willow then," William said. "She called your apartment and suggested that I visit."

"I will have to thank her, you can make sure of that," she said, although Buffy also made a note to make sure and yell at her first for meddling with her love life.

"Come on," she said, taking his hand and leading him towards the gallery. "I want to give you the full tour."

She led him through the three gallery rooms, which were all pretty bare at the moment. "These are where the gallery openings are held, and my paintings, along with other artists', are displayed," Buffy explained. "I do things a bit differently than other independent artists. I like to have a mix of my paintings along with the other local artists so that the potential customers and clients can see a mixture of compositions, techniques, styles, and things like that. That way if they purchase another artist’s work, I will at least get a percentage."

William listened to Buffy explain how she ran her business as he gazed at the few beautiful portraits that were hung on the walls. She had clearly captured a wide range of emotions in every portrait she had painted, from anger and despair, to joy and surprise.

"These are incredible," William said.

"Well, they're not all mine," Buffy said. "But a few left are. I'm getting ready for my new gallery design and my new series of paintings," she continued on. "I've been keeping it a big secret from everyone else until the opening night."

"Do you have any idea when that may be?"

"Hopefully in a couple of weeks. I'm about done with my share of the work and the paintings from other artists and museum galleries are almost settled," Buffy told him. "I'm really looking forward to this one. You'll have to attend on my opening night."

"But of course," he agreed.

"Now, I want to show you my studio," Buffy said, pulling him in a new direction.

The two walked into a brightly lit, large studio space. Both blank and partially painted canvases lined the walls, and easels were also scattered here and there. The studio was lined with floor to ceiling windows, allowing plenty of natural light into the room for Buffy to paint by.

"It's not exactly the tidiest place on earth," Buffy said as she dropped his hand to let him walk around on his own. "But this is where I come to get away from everything. I can just pick up my paintbrush and...I'm centered, back to basics, and where I can freely paint however and whatever I want to."

"It must be wonderful," William said. "To have your dream job and be such a success with it."

"Thank you," she said, blushing at his compliment. "It can be tough at times...it was tough getting this place started up, but it's been worth it, every single minute of it."

It went unspoken that the exact same thing could be said about their relationship.

"Now, if you promise to keep it a secret, I'll let you know what my theme for the next opening is going to be," Buffy said. "Willow knows, but she has sworn upon penalty of death to not say a word until opening night."

"I would love to see what you have been working on," William said. "And I will not tell a soul."

"I know you won't," Buffy said. "I just like to tease you as often as I can."

She walked over to the other side of the room and pulled back several drapes hiding the few canvases that were completed.

What William saw were paintings with rich, vibrant colors, loose and somewhat choppy brush strokes, and a blurriness that was predominantly found in -

"Impressionism!" he gasped. "Why, this is your take on impressionism."

"Bingo!" She said, stepping back to stand beside him and squeezing his arm. Buffy stepped closer towards William and wrapped his arm around her waist, hungry for contact between the two of them. "I know impressionism was just up and coming in 1882. Manet, Monet, Renoir...oh gosh, I get chills thinking that they were actually alive and painting these incredible things that were considered radical in your time. I mean, you all had the Salons back then, something I would just absolutely die to see, and it was new, original for it's time, while also being scandalous and risqué-"

"Buffy, are you saying that you decided upon this series with myself in mind?"

Her face softened as she gazed into his fathomless blue eyes. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm telling you." She walked around the room and pulled off a few more covers. "These are all my impressionist takes on the surrounding area. The beach, which is just a few miles away. The park, where we have a small bridge and stream underneath. The Expresso Pump, although if that place has ever looked as nice as it does in my painting, I surely missed out on it. And the desert, several miles north of here."

"Buffy, these are incredible," William said in awe. "You're just so talented."

"Thank you," she spoke softly. "And other artists have their own renditions of the surrounding area. My only requirement was that it had to be in a European Impressionist style of the late 1800s."

William walked around the rest of the studio, taking in the entire atmosphere of the room. "This is simply...an incredible accomplishment, Buffy."

He looked in the other corner of the room and noticed a smaller canvas, which was also covered, behind a much larger one that she had shown him. The cover of the canvas appeared to have a layer of dust on it, telling him that it had been a while since Buffy had touched that painting.

"What is this one over here?" He asked, pointing towards the smaller covered canvas.

"Oh, nothing important," Buffy rushed to explain. "Just a painting that didn't go so well."

"May I see?"

Buffy silently groaned. Of all the paintings in her studio, why did he have to be so interested in the one that was of him?

"Sure thing," she finally answered. Buffy picked up the canvas and placed it on an easel. As she sheet fell to the floor, William's eyes widened when he saw almost an exact mirror image stare back at him.

"Buffy," he gasped. "This is...is this how you see me?"

Buffy looked at the painting, wondering what he saw. "What?"

"You've painted this with such...such emotion and caring," he finally said. "Did you paint this quite recently? Although my hair can be somewhat annoyingly long, I do not think it is quite that long."

Buffy paused, unsure of how to say that she had actually painted it weeks before they'd ever met face to face. But, then again, with everything else that was so bizarre in their lives, what more could this new information do to their relationship.

"I, uh, actually..."

"Yes?"

"This was actually painted back in mid November," she finished.

William thought on this for several long seconds, trying to figure out what that meant. "Then...then this was painted before we ever met?" he asked.

"That's right," Buffy said, slightly nodding.

"And all you had to go with was the description of myself that I wrote in our journal?"

"Right again." She looked up at him, hoping this wouldn't worry him too much. "You know the weirdest thing? I managed to get this incredible shade of blue for your eyes and after I finished painting, I couldn't recreate the color. It was just...like it was meant to happen only this one time, for my portrait of you." Buffy ran her hand down his cheek, as the realization that something bigger than just the two of them being able to stand in the same room together, was going on here.

"Then, you are saying that it is almost as if something mystical possessed you to paint this?" he asked.

"I don't know what I'm saying, William. All I know is that I painted almost an exact replica of your face without having actually ever seen it before."

William thought of what to say, of how he should react to this news. Finally, he reached out to touch her soft cheek, to run his fingertips down the column of her throat and then to rest on her shoulders. "Then I guess it is just another sign that we truly were meant to be together," he finally spoke. "It is almost as if this painting was a sign of things to come, our destiny."

"Our destiny?" she whispered back.

"Yes. Our destiny to...to be together," William ended.

Buffy found herself quickly blinking back tears at his moving words. "Thank you so much, William."

"For what?"

"For always knowing what to say."

Having said that, Buffy did what she had been dying to do for days now, especially ever since she'd read his entry in their new journal on the night before Christmas. She raised herself up onto her tiptoes and gently pressed her lips to his.

Buffy felt William tense and freeze underneath her palms, which were resting on his shoulders. But as she gently kissed him again, she could feel him relax into her embrace and begin to actually kiss her back. And as she ran her hands from his shoulders to his neck, she could feel any tension left quickly leave his body.

Oh God, I am dying. I must be dying, William thought, for he knew that he was nearing heaven as Buffy ran her fingers through his hair and gently massaged the back of his neck while she continued to show him with her own mouth how to respond. His hands came to rest on the small of her back as he lowered his head to deepen their kiss - his first kiss - and felt her press her entire body against his. Oh, Buffy. Buffy, Buffy, Buffy...

It was suddenly every stupid cliché in the book that had ever been written about a kiss - electricity running through her veins, lightening shocks wherever their skin made contact together, bright colors bursting before her eyes. But all of those clichés were pretty dead on for Buffy, and as she deepened their kiss by slightly opening her mouth to gently press her tongue against his lips for the first time, she knew that this is what a first kiss really should feel like.

Pure, unadulterated love.

Some time later - seconds, minutes, hours - neither one was too sure when they finally pulled back from each other, Buffy opened her eyes and sent him a shaky smile, clearly affected in the power of what they had just shared. She watched William's reaction, wondering what he would say - or what she should say - next.

"Buffy..." William whispered hoarsely, unsure of what to say after one was just doing something so intimate. Should he thank her? No, he quickly though, casting that idea away. He couldn't bear it if she laughed at his untrained words right now. "Buffy, my heart, I...I-"

Buffy silenced him with one more gentle kiss. "I know, William. Trust me, I know."

TBC

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